Red Bull space jump

[sbr]

Did he break the speed of sound?

He came close but I'm not sure he got there based on the Youtube feed.

[sbr]

Well, seems he didn't break the record for longest free fall at least.

Nope seems like he pulled the chute awfully early, he is still over 6000' feet up.

[Zanza]

TV said he broke it. But I didn't see it on the Youtube feed either.

[mongers]

Well that was pretty god damn impressive. 

[sbr]

Well that was pretty god damn impressive. 

Yeah it was, in all of the discussion of which absurd records he may or may not have broken.  I really thought he was in trouble there shortly after he jumped when he seemed to be in an uncontrollable spin, but he recovered.

[Neil]

Yeah, that was the most dangerous part, at the beginning when he had no control due to no air pressure.

[sbr]

[merithyn]

I still call it insanity, but go him. He survived. Not only that, but apparently, he suffered from crippling claustrophobia in the suit and overcame it to manage the stunt.

[Syt]

I still call it insanity

But it's not all vanity:

http://www.redbullstratos.com/science/scientific-values/

Like any transportation system, high-altitude flights need safety procedures; but currently, researchers don't know if it's possible to bail out from ultra-high altitudes. What would happen to a human falling to Earth faster than the speed of sound? Would a spacesuit provide sufficient protection? Would GPS equipment function? Could a drogue parachute provide adequate stabilization?

Worldwide, the answers to such questions are vital. Aviators and astronauts look to extend the boundaries of their exploration and - with the opening of facilities like SpacePort America - the day when everyday people can become space tourists is on the horizon. The mission's findings may point the way toward developing escape systems for the space tourists of the future, as well as for the pilots and astronauts who already need suborbital systems today.

SCIENTIFIC CONTRIBUTION FOCUS
Red Bull Stratos aims to provide information that will further the progression of aerospace safety. The key benefits for the science community are as follows:

- To aid development of a new generation of space suits - including enhanced mobility and visual clarity - and other systems to lead toward passenger/crew exit from space.

- To aid development of protocols for exposure to high altitude/high acceleration.

- To aid exploration of the effects on the human body of supersonic acceleration and deceleration, including development of the latest innovations in parachute systems.

[mongers]

Fail from the bbc commentaroes for not telling us the the older man acting as Capcom" - capsule communicator, was Joe Kittinger who set the record in 1960.

[merithyn]

I still call it insanity

But it's not all vanity:

Yeah. The science of it was pretty remarkable.

[Ed Anger]

What I'd like see done to tim. Without a parachute.

[mongers]

That gif is rubbish, if they'd left the footage run another 2-3 seconds, we see him reduced to a small grey dot, a much better demonstration of the acceleration.

[mongers]

Congratulations to Felix Baumgartner, 127,000 ft and 729mph, the real Spirit of Endeavour; Mankind needs to go higher, further and faster.

[Ed Anger]

Big deal. I once ate 20 bowls of chili in one setting.